- A hurricane in the South Atlantic!?! Impossible you say? Not anymore. Since 1960, when human beings first put satellites into orbit, no one has seen a hurricane form in the South Atlantic. Hurricanes frequently form in the South Pacific, Western Pacific, North Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. A hurricane formed off the coast of Brazil a few days ago, and smacked into the country yesterday. Here is a USA Today article explaining the incredibly rare phenomenon:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2004-03-26-brazil-hurricane_x.htm

- For the next few weeks, the five planets that are visible to the naked eye (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter) will be in the same sky, at the same time. This rare event wont happen again for 32 years. During the next several days, the moon will be amongst these celestial bodies, making it very easy to spot them, when you use the moon as a marker. Here is a link explaining when to look, where to look, and just how rare this occurrence is:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/planet_panorama_040305.html

- With each passing day, humanity gets closer and closer to developing a RoboCop, Terminator, or an Iron Man. If I had a dollar for every time I have day-dreamed about donning the Iron Man armor, I would be a very rich man. Here is an article describing how some university scientists have created a robotic exoskeleton that helps a human-being lift and carry objects over long distances:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040304195437.htm

- I read several blogs each day. One of the new blogs I have discovered is "The Corner." Its the blog for National Review magazine. The writers of the magazine have access to the blog, and they post their daily readings and thoughts. It gets updated very quickly, so you can get commentary on many news items the moment they happen. Here is a link:
http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/corner.asp

Wednesday, March 03, 2004

- The Soprano's starts again this Sunday (March 7th.) This is the fifth season of the Sopranos. Season four episodes were somewhat boring, but its still better than 99% of the garbage that fills your TV each and every night. Here is a link to the official website, and to one of the more popular fan-based Soprano websites:
http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/http://www.the-sopranos.com/

- Whatever happened to the Roanoke Colony? It's one of the great mysteries of American history. In the late 16th century, Sir Walter Raleigh brought colonists to North Carolina. The first colony he brought failed, and went back to England. The second colony he brought created the great mystery. The second colony vanished into thin air. Their settlement was completely erased. No traces were found of anyone living at the spot where the settlement was established. The only evidence that human life ever existed at the Roanoke Colony was a single word scratched into a tree, "Croatoan". Many historians feel that this was the name of one of the Indian tribes in the area. Other historians believe that this was the name the Indians had given to one of the the nearby islands. A whackier theory states that Croatoan was actually a demon, who destroyed the colonists. Apparently Croatoan is a biblical reference to some kind of hell-beast in Christian and babylonian lore. Here is a link about the whole mystery, and how modern scientists are trying to solve it:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0302_040302_lostcolony.html

- The democratic primary season has ended. My John Edward's induced nightmare is finally over. John "I was in Vietnam" Kerry is the democratic nominee. Now we can start to talk about the match-up against President Bush, and how the electoral college might shake out. Here is my current count: George Bush: 306 John Kerry: 232 There are only 10 to 12 states up for grabs in this election. In fact, you could argue that there are really only two or three states that will decide the election. I believe that Florida, New Hampshire, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oregon will decide this election. I have GWB winning all of those, except for Iowa and New Hampshire. Am I biased? Of course I am! But that doesnt mean I cannot at least try to give an objective analysis. Here is a link to a site that shows the 2004 electoral college, and allows you to manipulate the states so you can do your own calculations:
http://www.uselectionatlas.org/USPRESIDENT/evcalc.php?year=2004